Embattled wives and family members of military officers detained over an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu have demanded an open trial for the suspects, saying the idea of a secret trial should be dropped.
This is as human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, and political activist, Omoyele Sowore, faulted the prolonged detention of the suspects, asking the Federal Government to charge them to court in accordance with the law.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the wives of the suspects appealed to Tinubu to grant them access to their husbands and ensure they are either freed or brought before a court of law.
On October 4, 2025, the then Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, announced the arrest of 16 officers for breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.
An interim investigation report by the military later indicated that a clandestine network of officers allegedly coordinated by an army colonel had begun preliminary planning for a coup.
The report said the coup plot included the covert surveillance of key national assets such as the Presidential Villa, the Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja and major international airports.
Those alleged to be involved in the coup plot include Brig Gen M A Sadiq, Col M A Maaji, Lt Col S Bappah, Lt Col A A Hayatu, Lt Col P Dangnap, Lt Col M Almakura, Maj A J Ibrahim, Maj M M Jiddah, Maj M A Usman, Maj D Yusuf, Capt I Bello, Capt A A Yusuf, Lt S S Felix, Lt Cdr D B Abdullahi, Sqn. Ldr S B Adamu and Maj I Dauda.
According to the report, the alleged coup was planned for October 25, 2025, and targeted senior government officials, including the President and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at the press conference, the families of the detained officers lamented that the suspects had been held for more than 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives.
No fewer than 20 wives of the detained officers, alongside their children, including a two-month-old baby, attended the briefing.
They include Firdaus Usman, Farida Lawal, Hauwa Aliu, Aisha Sadiq, Hassana Salihu, Fatima Muhammad, Zahra Abba, Khadija A. Hayatu, Helen Sunday, Memuna Bashiru (who read the speech), Aisha Ibrahim and two-month-old Ahmad Musajida.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the families, Bashiru said the continued detention of their husbands had plunged their households into uncertainty and anguish.
She said while allegations against the officers had been widely reported, their families had been left in the dark.
“We stand before you as families, wives, mothers and relatives whose husbands and brothers have been in detention for over 160 days without being brought before an open court of law. For more than five months, our families have lived with uncertainty, fear and unanswered questions.
“Today we are here for one simple reason: to ask that justice be done openly and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These past months have been deeply painful for our families.
“We have watched helplessly as narratives are presented to the public, subjecting our husbands to media trial. At the same time, some of us have faced intimidation from the very men in uniform who swore to protect Nigerians.
“Our husbands served this country faithfully on the frontlines, risking their lives in defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Today their families are left with fear, uncertainty and unanswered questions. We speak today not with anger but with the heavy hearts of wives and mothers,” she said.
Bashiru appealed directly to the President and the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, urging them to intervene in the matter.
The families said they were not seeking favours but demanding adherence to constitutional rights.
They also appealed to the military authorities to allow them to see their husbands.
“We ask only for what the 1999 Constitution guarantees every Nigerian: that our husbands be treated as innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. The allegations against them must not be used to make them scapegoats. We want due process, nothing more and nothing less.
“We respectfully ask for compassion and transparency. Grant us access to our husbands. Let us see them and know they are safe and alive,” she added.
Bashiru further raised concerns over what she described as inconsistencies in the official narrative surrounding the arrests.
“There are inconsistencies that have raised serious concerns. Initially, the public was told that N12bn had been discovered in the account of one of the officers. Today the narrative has changed. The amount is now said to be N835m and it is reportedly in a company account rather than the account of any officer.
“What was once presented as N12bn has now been reduced by more than 93 per cent.
“Furthermore, the allegations themselves have changed. At first, the officers were reportedly arrested for indiscipline. Later, the allegation became conspiracy to commit a coup d’état. We respectfully ask: what changed? If there is evidence, it should be presented openly in court.”
She noted that the military had earlier announced that investigations into the matter had been concluded.
“Mr President, the military publicly stated over six weeks ago that investigations had been concluded. If that is the case, justice must now move forward.
“We respectfully request that the trials commence immediately in an open court of law visible to all Nigerians. We do not want secret proceedings or media trial. If our husbands are guilty, let it be proven beyond reasonable doubt. But if they are innocent, justice demands that they be set free,” she pleaded.
The families also called on civil society organisations, religious leaders, the legal community and the international community to monitor the case closely.
Speaking at the briefing, Adeyanju said the continued detention of the officers without access to their families or legal representatives violated fundamental rights.
“Since the arrest of these officers, members of their families have not been allowed to have access to them and they have not been allowed access to legal representation, which is a clear violation of Section 35 of the Constitution, Article 5 of the African Charter and Article 9 of the Civil and Political Rights Principles,” he said.
The Abuja-based lawyer warned that allegations of coup plots had historically been used against prominent political figures in Nigeria, urging authorities to exercise caution in handling the current case.
Citing past examples, he recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was once accused of plotting a coup against the regime of Sani Abacha.
Adeyanju also referenced the experiences of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, who at different times faced similar accusations and imprisonment.
He cautioned that those currently in power could one day find themselves in similar circumstances, stressing that allegations of treason must be handled transparently and in accordance with the law.
Also speaking, Sowore said the families deserved justice and transparency.
“I want to encourage members of the distressed families of the alleged coup suspects that we are here to ensure that justice is done, no matter what it takes,” he said.
Holding a two-month-old baby during the briefing, Sowore said the child had not seen his detained father since birth.
“By the way, I have a child here in my arms who hasn’t seen his father since he was born. He’s only two months old. Can you imagine that? He hasn’t seen the father who has been detained for five months.”
Sowore insisted that even if the allegations were true, the suspects deserved a fair and transparent trial.
“We shouldn’t live in a country where anything under a democratic society is done in secrecy. Even if it is true that these men committed these offences, they have a right to an open, transparent and fair trial in court.”
Speaking with our correspondent, one of the wives, Helen Sunday, said some families had suffered bereavement while the officers remained in detention.
“While our husbands are in detention, we have lost some family members because of their ordeal. For instance, one of the detained soldiers, Hayatu, lost his father. Another officer, Zuzu, lost his mother.
“But the painful part is that they are not aware of their deaths yet because we were not granted access to see them. We don’t even know exactly where they are being held.”
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